Sunday, September 28, 2008

A column on sex, gender, and discrimination within the Anglo masculine stronghold of rock and its subsets, especially punk and hardcore. Why?

BECAUSE there are non-male, non-straight, non-cisgendered, non-white people who listen to the genre. Girls, gays, trannies, genderqueer folk, "people of color": we listen to rock'n'roll, we listen to punk, we listen to hardcore, even though you only see/hear skinny straight white dudes on mainstream rock radio and "video" channels

BECAUSE there are non-male, non-straight, non-cisgendered, non-white people who are MAKING rock-n-roll that is transgressive, that is brave, that challenges social and musical conventions and asks uncomfortable questions about sex, gender, race, and class-based discrimination, and these artists deserve more attention

BECAUSE non-male, non-straight, non-cisgendered, non-white people who are participating in rock-n-roll need a place to discuss the discrimination we face; these divisions are reflective of oppression and hierarchy in larger society, and we need to talk about these problems if we ever hope to solve them

BECAUSE non-male, non-straight, non-cisgendered, non-white rock musicians need a space where we can publicize and critique their ideas, releases, and performances, and discuss the contributions they are making to popular culture and art

BECAUSE it is time for us to make rock-n-roll live up to its reputation of being a liberating and radicalizing force for its audience/participants....a genre like rock-n-roll, that has the potential to be so subversive and so inclusive, should be big enough for ALL of us

BECAUSE the scene is male identified -- but it doesn't have to be.

The white patriarchal hierarchy in rock'n'roll NEEDS a swift kick to the groin -- and this is as good a place as any to start.